SIR showdown: TMC mulls impeachment motion against CEC; Mamata challenges Centre

NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee connected Tuesday said the enactment is considering bringing a question to impeach Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar implicit the mode successful which the canvass assemblage is conducting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) successful West Bengal and different states, immoderate of which volition clasp elections either this twelvemonth oregon successful 2027."We volition bring impeachment question against the CEC. The mode they are conducting the SIR is wrong. This would impact the voting rights of each citizens of the country. They privation to guarantee cipher has voting rights. Therefore, we are considering impeachment question implicit this ill-motive. We are besides talking to different parties," Banerjee told reporters.

The TMC is the third-largest absorption party—and the fourth-largest overall—in the Lok Sabha, with 28 members, each from West Bengal, which it governs.

The enactment has been successful powerfulness present since 2011.Banerjee's remarks came a time aft West Bengal main curate and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee met CEC Kumar and 2 predetermination commissioners astatine the EC bureau successful Delhi to sermon the SIR issue. She reportedly slammed the array and stormed retired of the room, bringing the gathering to an end.On Tuesday, she held a property league successful Delhi with “victims” of the SIR process from West Bengal. She claimed they “represented galore others who suffered owed to the exercise.”

“People sitting down america are each SIR victims. I could person brought lakhs of radical here. They are not giving an accidental to SIR victims to support themselves,” PTI quoted Mamata Banerjee arsenic saying.Questioning the timing of the SIR, the West Bengal CM asked wherefore the workout was being conducted conscionable up of assembly elections. She besides questioned wherefore it was being carried retired lone successful poll-bound states ruled by the absorption and not successful the BJP-ruled Assam, wherever a peculiar revision (SR) of electoral rolls is underway.“Out of the 4 election-bound states, they’re doing SIR successful 3 states and not successful BJP-ruled Assam,” she said, referring to West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. The 3 states and Assam, on with the Union Territory of Puducherry, volition spell to polls astir April–May.The Supreme Court is presently proceeding aggregate petitions against the West Bengal SIR, including those filed by TMC MPs.